A base structure may include an attached component that is configured to move (such as to rotate and/or translate) relative to the base structure. Under certain conditions, it may be desirable to damp relative motion and/or vibration between the base structure and the attached component.
As an illustrative, non-exclusive example, an aircraft may include external attached components, such as flaps, that may be configured to be actuated and/or moved relative to a remainder of the aircraft, such as during and/or to control flight of the aircraft. These external attached components may be subject to significant wind and/or drag forces during flight of the aircraft, and these forces may produce vibration and/or flutter of the external attached components. Flutter is a self-feeding, or resonant, condition in which the forces couple with a natural frequency of the external attached component, generating larger and larger amplitude vibrations between the external attached component and the aircraft.
Conventionally, aircraft include hydraulic dampers that may be utilized to damp relative motion of the external attached component. While these hydraulic dampers may be effective at damping relative motion and/or vibration, they may be complicated, heavy, and/or costly to implement and/or maintain. Thus, there exists a need for improved motion-damping systems.